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@uiten gratta latwt @ffice HENRY F. SEHNDERS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, SSIGNOR TQ HIMSELF AND BARBORA WACKERMAN, OFTHE SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. '69,261,0Zated September 24, 1867'.l

IMPROVED WASHING MACHINE.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY OONCERN:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. SEHNDERS, of the city of Buifalo, in the county of Erie, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Washing Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure I is a side elevation.

Figure 2, a centra-l longitudinal section.

Figure 3, a plan. i

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all the tig'ures.

My invention consists in the combination and arrangement of a movable rubber, with its face of India rubber or other elastic material, which is made to reciprocate over a stationary 'o oard, in the peculiar `manner described, together'with adjustable feed-rollers, provided with a double pawl, by which they can be made to feed the garments in either direction. It also consists in the use and arrangement therewith of a receptacle for containing soap-suds or other preparation, which is continuously supplied to the clothes on the board as they are being washed.

In the drawings, A represents a rectangular tub, which forms also the frame for supporting the parts; I5, the under and stationary board, of ordinary construction7 preferably a little inclined from a horizontal, as shown; C, the upper movable rubber, its India-rubber face a being corrugated or not, as preferred; D, the upper and E the lower feed-1'oller; F, the driving-crank shaft, provided with a iiy-wheel, G, and handle 3, for turning it. .H is the Pitman attached to said shaft, and coupled with a connecting-rod, I, attached to the rubber, by which the latter is operated back and forth over the board. J is a rock-shaft, with an arm, b, extending downward therefrom, and pivoted to the pitman near its connection with thc connecting-rod I. The function of this rock-shaft and arm is to produce a more uniform horizontal motion to the connecting-rod than a single long pitman would without such device. The rubber C kept in proper engagement with the board beneath by means'of spiral spring c, attached to projections e from each end of the rubber, and fastened to the'outside of the tub, as shown in I. These springs yield suiiiciently to allow the necessary reciprocations of the rubber, and its elevation, will hereafter be desc1ibed,)while arranging the garnichts upon the wash-board B, preparatory to washing. Cams K K, of the form shown, are pivoted at cach end of the rubber on the projections e, and connected by a rod, f. A lever, g, extending from one of the coins, enables them to be partially rotated on the axes e, (shown in red lines, iig. 2,) which elevates the rubber so to permit the insertion of the garments beneath. When the machine is in operation the rodfis engaged in a hook, i, in the top of the rubber, which siecurely holds it in place. The feed-rollers D E may be arranged either in front or behind the rubber, the lower one being preferably of' wood, corrugated, and mounted in fixed bearings, while the upper one, D, is made with an elastic surface, as India rubber, with its boxes adjustable vertically, by means of thumb-screws j, or equivalent. At the end of the axis of the lower roller, on the outside, is a ratchet-wheel, 7c, and a pivoted arm, Z, to the latter of whichis piroted the double pawl m, constructed as shown, which may be turned so as to engage with either side of the wheel c, according to the' direction in which the garments are required to be fed. To the end ot' the arm l is jointed a rod orpitnian, n, which connects it at its other end with an arm or crank, o, on the end of the driving-shai`t, by which, in connection with the pawl m, the feed-wheels are intermittently actuated. The pressure between the two rollers is regulated by the thunibscrcws raising or depressing the boxes of the upper roller. In one corner of the machine is arranged a tub., S, for containing soap-suds or otherdetergent solution, with a flexible pipe, p, leading therefrom to the rubber C, to which its end is secured. A stop-cock, q, is provided at the eduction passage from this tub, by which the saponaccous liquidl is permitted to gradually iiow through thc'pipep, which discharges it on the more elevated end of the wash-board, thus furnishing a continuous supply to the fabrics as they are being subjected to the action. of the rubber. This arrangement is a matter of considerable importance, as by it the suda or other mixture is equally and uniformly distributed as the washing progresses. The rubber C being elastic, on account of the material of `which it is composed, and adjustableby means ot" the spiral springs, prevents in a great measure the .wear of the garments,

while its rapid reciprocatione soon und effect-nelly cleanse the rnost soiled articles. The use of the double puwl with the feed-rollers ena-bles the clothes to berensily fed in either orboth directions, us required. By theemploynient of the cams in connection with the -spiral spnngs, the rubber C een be readily elevated for inserting the articles to be washed. By tightening the thumb-orews j the feed-rollers muy be used as u wringer.

1. The combination of the reciprocating rubber U,'vst.tionary board B, springs c, vwith the connecting-rod I, rook-shaft ixncl arm 'J b, arranged and operated substzintiully inthe manner und for the purpose sot forth.

2. I claim the receptacle s, provided with stopeooek-q and flexible Ypipe p, in combination with rubber C, substantially as und for tbe purpose described.

3. I claim the feed-rollers D E, in combination with the ratchet-wheel c, double-netingl powl m, arm Z, and pitman n, operating inthe manner und for the purpose setforth.

4. I claim the cams K K, oonneoted by rod f, in coinbinzttion with the hook z', spiral springs c, und rubber C, for elevating the latter, arranged und operating substantially as specified. i

In witness whereof` I have hereunto signed my name inthe presenoeof two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY F. SEHNDERS.

Witnesses:

JAY HYATT, J. R. BRAKE. 

